Data Pinpoints Sow Dropouts

Sow herd culling and mortality rates continue on the upswing. Although 2001 PigCHAMP recordkeeping data has yet to be summarized, a 12-month snapshot (June 1, 2000 to May 31, 2001) verifies the trend and provides some insight into the reasons sows drop out of the breeding herd. For the nearly quarter of a million sows with complete parity records represented in the removal analysis, half were culled

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Sow herd culling and mortality rates continue on the upswing. Although 2001 PigCHAMP recordkeeping data has yet to be summarized, a 12-month snapshot (June 1, 2000 to May 31, 2001) verifies the trend and provides some insight into the reasons sows drop out of the breeding herd.

For the nearly quarter of a million sows with complete parity records represented in the removal analysis, half were culled from the herd during the 12-month period and nearly 8% died (see accompanying table).

Sow removal is tabulated in three broad categories — culled, death or destroyed. Within each category is a menu of reasons sows are removed. Space limitations dictated that only the most prevalent data lines in each category could be presented.

Reasons for Culling

At first glance, it appears that “old age/parity” is the leading reason sows are culled (12.9%). However, a closer look at the reason-for-culling list shows a significant number of sows and gilts, across all parities, failed to get bred or stay pregnant. Specifically, in the report, this would include sows that: aborted (2.8%), did not conceive (10.3%), failed to farrow (1.2%), fertility failure (1%), found not pregnant (1.9%), no heat (7.9%) and pregnancy tested negative (1.7%).

Death & Destroyed

Perhaps more striking is the 12.8% death loss. As recent as 1999, the annual PigCHAMP summary shows death loss at just half that — 6.9%. The cause of death for nearly half of those losses is classified as “other” or “unknown” (1.1% and 5.1%, respectively), so specific answers for these losses cannot be pinpointed.

Lameness and downer sows are the most noted causes of death or need to destroy sows, and in combination, represent 16% of the sows in the analysis.

The analysis also showed that the average parity for sows culled was 3.8, while the average parity of sows that died or were destroyed landed at 2.3.

Gilts and Sows Selected for the Removal Analysis (entered the herd or farrowed) in the Report Period, June 1, 2000 - May 31, 2001

Parity

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7+

Total

Gilts Entered Or Sows Farrowed

128,462

133,489

102,034

82,847

79,315

64,239

49,084

64,858

704,328

Complete Parity Records

43,960

38,492

28,637

26,523

29,331

23,564

20,193

30,423

241,123

Moved To Next Parity Waiting To Be Bred

32,605

23,330

19,270

17,005

18,014

13,151

8,951

9,012

141,338

Total Number Removed

22,408

23,629

14,599

14,947

15,912

14,283

14,807

26,457

147,042

Gilts and Sows Culled

18,059

18,220

11,080

11,533

12,756

11,877

13,054

24,326

120,905

Entry - First Service

14,710

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

15,124

Weaning - First Service

-

15,747

9,379

9,773

11,052

10,430

11,808

22,619

90,815

First Service - Farrow

3,342

2,376

1,646

1,702

1,642

1,395

1,194

1,669

14,966

Gilt and Sow Deaths

3,213

3,765

2,452

2,335

2,342

1,772

1,341

1,555

18,775

Entry - First Service

2,581

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

2,727

Weaning - First Service

-

3,327

2,145

2,010

2,034

1,517

1,149

1,339

13,521

First Service - Farrow

632

406

285

300

288

231

179

206

2,527

Transfers Farm to Farm

473

427

284

302

143

101

76

120

1,926

Other Removals

663

1,217

783

777

671

533

336

456

5,436

Percent of Complete Parity Records Gilts and Sows Culled

41.1

47.3

38.7

43.5

43.5

50.4

64.6

80.0

50.1

Entry - First Service

33.5

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

6.3

Weaning - First Service

-

40.9

32.8

36.8

37.7

44.3

58.5

74.3

37.7

First Service - Farrow

7.6

6.2

5.7

6.4

5.6

5.9

5.9

5.5

6.2

Gilt and Sow Deaths

7.3

9.8

8.6

8.8

8.0

7.5

6.6

5.1

7.8

Entry - First Service

5.9

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

1.1

Weaning - First Service

-

8.6

7.5

7.6

6.9

6.4

5.7

4.4

5.6

First Service - Farrow

1.4

1.1

1.0

1.1

1.0

1.0

0.9

0.7

1.0

Gilts and Sows Selected for the Removal Analysis Were Removed in the Report Period